If this is what J.J. Taylor looks like at 80 percent, itโs scary to think how effective heโll be when heโs fully functional.
The redshirt freshman running back was the star of the Arizona Wildcatsโ โSpring Showcaseโ at Arizona Stadium on Thursday night, even though he still isnโt all the way back from the broken ankle that shelved him last season.
After darting through the UA defense on multiple occasions โ and looking like the fastest man on the field โ Taylor insisted heโs still at about 80 percent. He gave the same self-assessment earlier in spring camp.
โIโm not a full speed yet,โ Taylor said. โBut Iโll get there soon.โ
To the untrained eye, Taylor appeared to be the same back who rushed for 265 yards in seven quarters against Hawaii and Washington. He ran inside and out, made defenders miss and popped back up after being taken down.
โHeโs a freak,โ tight end Trevor Wood said.
โThe skyโs the limit,โ quarterback Brandon Dawkins said. โIf thatโs 80 percent, itโs really impressive.โ
โItโs crazy,โ guard Jacob Alsadek said. โSometimes youโll block somebody, youโll look over and heโs 20 yards downfield already.โ
UA coach Rich Rodriguez considers Taylor a โspecial talent.โ Still, Rodriguez would like to see the Wildcatsโ defense do a better job of stopping him in spring practice.
Asked about Taylor being brought to the ground while still in the recovery phase from his injury, Rodriguez said: โI would prefer, defensively, that they take him to the ground quicker. It looked like they were taking him to the ground 30 yards down the field. Heโs not in a red shirt, so he should have gotten tackled a little quicker. Thatโs probably easier said than done.โ
Taylor said he hopes to be at full strength by the start of fall camp in August. The 5-foot-6-inch product of Corona, California, has added 20 pounds of muscle since arriving on campus, now weighing in at 180 pounds. He described Thursday night as โjust another practice.โ
โI just look at it as another chance to get better and to work on my craft,โ Taylor said.
Seven isnโt enough
Rodriguez didnโt think the two-hour workout Thursday night was particularly sharp. It might have had something to do with the format, which was structured around Pac-12 Networksโ TV coverage.
โI think we had four other practices better than this one,โ Rodriguez said. โThis was almost a wasted day.โ
Rodriguez lamented missed tackles, pass-protection breakdowns and some questionable decision-making by the quarterbacks. Khalil Tate threw an interception in a goal-line drill. Rodriguez also didnโt think the Wildcats were as physical as in previous practices.
โOut of 10, Iโd say like, a seven,โ cornerback Dane Cruikshank said when asked about the intensity level Thursday night. โWe need to be at a 10 at all times to be a good defense or a good team. Period.
โBut itโs still early. Weโve still got a lot more practices to go. We still have a lot of young guys that have to figure it out and know their role.โ
Starting Monday, Arizona has eight spring practices remaining.
Missing Anu
Even though he would have competed with him for the starting job, Dawkins said he misses fellow quarterback Anu Solomon, who transferred to Baylor.
โI told him I got his back no matter what he does,โ Dawkins said. โI hate to see him leave. Obviously heโs got to do whatโs best for him. I wanted him here for the competition and the camaraderie. To have him around with all the experience over the last 2ยฝ, three years, itโs been immense. Heโs taught me just about everything he knows.โ
Extra points
- Senior tailback Nick Wilson was out of town to attend the funeral of his former coach Justin Garza at Fresno (Calif.) Central High, who died of cancer at age 41.
- Three players wore green jerseys (limited) and were held out of team drills: defensive lineman Parker Zellers and receivers Shun Brown and Cedric Peterson.
- The following players wore yellow jerseys and worked exclusively on the side: offensive linemen Gerhard de Beer and Keenan Walker; tight end Brion Anduze; defensive lineman Jalen Cochran; and linebacker Lee Anderson III.
- Several former UA players attended the scrimmage, including Lance Briggs, Scooby Wright, David Richards and Reggie Gilbert.
- Arizona will hold a Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday, April 22, from noon-1:30 p.m. at Arizona Stadium. The event includes an autograph session with coaches and players.
